RESOURCES
Learning Materials.
Helpful references for choosing processes and materials for microfluidic devices — more coming soon.
Microfluidic Production Materials Compared
A practical comparison of common materials. Thermoplastics for scale-up, 3D-printed resins for early prototypes.
Notes: Ratings are indicative and depend on grade, additives, channel geometry, stress, and exposure conditions. Always confirm with datasheets and end-use testing.
| Parameter | COC mould-ready | COP mould-ready | Polycarbonate (PC) mould-ready | PMMA mould-ready | 3D-printed resin prototype-friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Biocompatibility General suitability for biological assays (always validate for your assay, cleaning and surface treatment). | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Varies |
Mould-ready for scale-up Suitability for injection moulding once the design is stable | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Poor |
Optical transparency Typical clarity in visible range (depends on grade/thickness) | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Varies |
Ethanol resistance Resistance to swelling/stress cracking (grade + exposure matter) | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Varies |
Acid / base resistance General resistance (strong acids/bases always need checking) | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Varies |
Bonding / sealing compatibility Preference for thermal bonding methods which do not introduce chemical contamination or crazing of the channels | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Mostly n/a |
Ratings are indicative and depend on grade, additives, channel geometry, stress, and exposure conditions.
Choosing Materials for Microfluidic Chips
A practical guide to selecting materials for prototype and production-ready devices.
Material selection is one of the biggest drivers of microfluidic performance and manufacturability. The same channel geometry can behave very differently depending on surface chemistry, adsorption, optical properties, and how the chip is sealed.
GLASS
- Excellent optics; low autofluorescence
- Chemically robust; clean surface chemistry
- Typically higher cost and longer lead times
PDMS & ELASTOMERS
- Fast prototyping and iteration
- Optically clear; can be gas permeable
- Scales to volume via PDMS injection moulding
THERMOPLASTICS
- Practical path to production and disposables
- Repeatable; low unit cost at volume
- Common options: COC/COP, PMMA, PC, PS
The questions that matter.
What liquids, solvents, buffers, or oils will contact the chip?
Chemical compatibility and swelling/stress cracking can make or break performance.
Will you do fluorescence / microscopy / optical detection?
Optical clarity, autofluorescence, and thickness matter for signal quality.
Will cells or proteins contact the surfaces?
Biocompatibility and adsorption can affect viability, binding, and assay drift.
Is this a prototype or a product?
The right choice depends on your target volumes and the manufacturing route.
How will the chip be sealed?
Bonding strategy should be chosen early — especially for thermoplastics.
Prototype → production: avoid material-change surprises.
- Surface energy and wettability changes can alter flow stability and droplet behaviour.
- Assays may not translate if adsorption or surface chemistry changes.
- Optical differences can invalidate calibration curves — even if clarity is "better".
Validate in the same material you intend to manufacture in. Thermoplastics often win here because they support both prototyping and scaled production.
SELECTION & DESIGN
- Requirements capture and shortlisting
- Design-for-manufacture (DFM) from day one
- Prototype plans aligned to the end goal
VALIDATION & SCALE-UP
- Reliability testing and risk reduction
- Scale plan (yield, tolerances, QA approach)
- Guidance before tooling investment
Share your fluids, detection method, and target volumes — and we'll recommend a material shortlist.
What are Microfluidics?
Microfluidics is the science and technology of manipulating extremely small volumes of fluids — nanoliters to picoliters — inside networks of micro-scale channels. At these scales, flow is laminar, and transport is dominated by diffusion and surface forces.
MATERIALS
Common materials
PDMS, COC, COP, PMMA, polycarbonate, glass, and silicon. The best choice depends on chemical compatibility, optical transparency, biocompatibility, and manufacturing route.
WHY IT MATTERS
Lab-on-a-chip
By integrating mixing, separation, and detection onto a single chip, microfluidics enables faster experiments, reduced reagent use, and precise control for diagnostics, drug discovery, and point-of-care testing.
CNC machining.
Computer-controlled tools mill microchannels into flat substrates — PMMA, polycarbonate, COC/COP, or metals for mould inserts.
Machine channels
Into the bottom substrate — depth and width set by toolpath and tooling.
Add ports
Inlets and outlets drilled from the top side or cap layer.
Clean & inspect
Remove burrs, confirm critical dimensions.
Seal the device
Bond a matching cap layer to enclose channels.
CNC produces an open channel network — the chip still needs sealing. See Chip Sealing ›
Chip sealing.
Most devices are a two-layer stack: channels below, a cap layer on top carrying inlets and outlets. Diffusion bonding is the preferred sealing method.
Why diffusion bonding.
A high-precision, adhesive-free thermal process. Layers are heated below the glass transition temperature under controlled pressure, allowing polymer chains to inter-diffuse and fuse without melting. The result: strong, transparent bonds that preserve channel geometry.
KEY BENEFITS
- High precision: maintains microchannels (5–500 µm)
- Optical clarity: nearly invisible bonds for imaging
- No adhesive contamination: cleaner devices
- High strength: approaches parent material
CONSIDERATIONS
- Surface quality and flatness affect yield
- Temperature/pressure tuned per polymer grade
- Port features designed for robust sealing
- Process depends on volume and targets
Injection moulding.
High-throughput production of thermoplastic microfluidic chips. The go-to for scale-up when volumes reach 100+ parts.
WHEN
100+ parts
Best for repeated production runs and ongoing volume. Higher upfront tooling cost, much lower price per part.
MATERIALS
COC, COP, PMMA, PC
Production thermoplastics chosen for assay compatibility, optical performance, and chemical resistance.
SEALING
Bonding required
Like CNC, moulding produces a channel layer that must be bonded to a cap. Choose your bonding strategy early.
Done reading?
Take it from theory to a part.
If you've narrowed down the materials and process, send us your design for a quote — or book a quick call to sanity-check the route.
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