Synonyms
Injection molding; Hot embossing; Polymer casting; Thermoforming; Compression molding; Hot press molding; Replica molding
Definition
Micromolding is a set of fabrication techniques for replicating microstructures in polymers using molds (also commonly known as masters or tools) to define features. The three most common micromolding techniques are injection molding, hot embossing, and casting. Micromolding involves four primary steps: microfabrication of the mold containing a negative or inverse of the desired pattern geometry, introduction of polymer material to the mold, curing or cooling of the polymer material, and release or separation of the molded polymer from the mold.
Overview
Polymer microfabrication has become a popular alternative to the well-established silicon and glass-based microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication technologies, particularly for microfluidic and Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) applications. Polymers have several major advantages that are not...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Manz A, Becker H (1999) Microsystem Technology in Chemistry and Life Science. Springer, New York
Nguyen NT, Wereley ST (2006) Fundamentals and Applications of Microfluidics, 2nd edn. Artech House, Boston
Minteer SD (ed) (2006) Microfluidic Techniques: Reviews and Protocols. Humana Press, Totowa
Ahn CH, Choi JW, Beaucage G, Nevin JH, Lee JB, Puntambekar A, Lee JY (2004) Disposable smart lab on a chip for point of care clinical diagnostics. Proc IEEE 92:154–173
Becker H, Gartner C (2000) Polymer microfabrication methods for microfluidic analytical applications. Electrophoresis 21:12
Rötting O, Röpke W, Becker H, Gärtner C (2002) Polymer microfabrication technologies. Microsyst Technol 8:32
McDonald JC, Duffy DC, Anderson JR, Chiu DT, Wu H, Schueller OJ, Whitesides GM (2000) Fabrication of microfluidic systems in poly(dimethylsiloxane). Electrophoresis 21:27
Duffy DC, Schueller OJA, Brittain ST, Whitesides GM (1999) Rapid prototyping of microfluidic switches in poly(dimethylsiloxane) and their actuation by electro-osmotic flow. JÂ Micromech Microeng 9:211
Madou MJ (2002) Fundamentals of Microfabrication: The Science of Miniaturization, 2nd edn. CRC, Boca Raton
Kim E, Xia Y, Whitesides GM (1995) Polymeric Microstructures Formed by Moulding in Capillaries. Nature 376:581–584
Wang W, Soper SA (eds) (2007) BioMEMS: Technologies and Applications. CRC, Boca Raton
Mark JE (1999) Polymer Data Handbook. Oxford University Press, New York
Lee JN, Park C, Whitesides GM (2003) Solvent compatibility of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic devices. Anal Chem 75:6545–6554
Kaplan WA (1998) Modern Plastics Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill, New York
Harper CA (2000) Modern Plastics Handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York
Lide DR (2003) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. CRC press, Florida
Becker H, Heim U (2000) Hot embossing as a method for the fabrication of polymer high aspect ratio structures. Sens Actuators A 83:130–135
Edwards TL, Mohanty SK, Edwards RK, Thomas CL. Frazier AB (2002) Rapid micromold tooling for injection molding microfluidic components. Sens Mater 14:167
Berins ML (1991) SPI Plastics Engineering Handbook of the Society of the Plastics Industry, 5th edn. Kluwer, Norwell
Trichur R (2003) Development of polymer MEMS structures for lab-on-a-chips using UV-LIGA and injection molding techniques. MS Thesis, University of Cincinnati
Studer V, Pepin A, Chen Y (2002) Nanoembossing of thermoplastic polymers for microfluidic applications. Appl Phys Lett 80:3614
Narasimhan J, Papautsky I (2004) Polymer embossing tools for rapid prototyping of plastic microfluidic devices. J Micromech Microeng 14:96
Lee JH, Peterson ETK, Dagani G, Papautsky I (2005) Rapid prototyping of plastic microfluidic devices in COC. Proc SPIE 5718:82–91
Bhagat AAS, Dagani G, Peterson ETK, Lee JH, Papautsky I (2005) Passive micromixer with obstructions for lab-on-a-chip applications. Proc SPIE 5718:291–297
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag
About this entry
Cite this entry
Papautsky, I., Peterson, E.T.K. (2008). Micromolding. In: Li, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48998-8_986
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48998-8_986
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-32468-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-48998-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering