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 Integrated circuits have been the driving force behind much of technology for the last thirty years. The simple idea of putting multiple devices on a single substrate has turned out to be incredibly powerful. Perhaps it was easy to visualize that there would be a profound effect on electronic devices and products themselves, but the thought that every aspect of technology and life would be utterly transformed was not obvious when the idea was first put forth.
What happened to IC’s is now happening with mechanical, chemical, fluidic and optical systems. The nascent fields of MEMS and nano-technology are adapting and combining many technologies to create very small, highly-functional and complex systems. Some of the technologies are adapted from IC manufacture, such as lithography, and others have been specifically developed for these applications. Many of them are additive in nature, and are in essence small-scale rapid prototyping. Indeed, several companies have been marketing such specialized RP technologies for a number of years.
FineLine Prototyping, Inc. provided a solution using small-spot stereolithography. According to company president Rob Connelly, FineLine uses its 3D Systems Viper machine to cure lines as small as 0.004 inches in width and 0.002 inches thick. Holes 0.006 inches in diameter with a 2:1 aspect ratio are also possible. The test pattern shown in the photo and the enlargement gives an idea of the tiny sizes achieved. Since today’s photopolymers can’t provide all the properties necessary for this application, FineLine also created rapid tooling on its stereolithography system. The stereolithography-generated epoxy inserts permit injection molding up to 20 cartridges in the final polymer for testing. It’s obvious that instruments like these will be used in laboratories, doctor’s offices and on the battlefields of the future. But the applications for MEMS and nano-technology are, if anything, wider than those for IC’s. Large shifts and changes seem assured - but based on history they will be the changes we don’t expect.
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It’s not always necessary to utilize specialized RP technologies for these applications, however. The development of a DNA tester shows how relatively standard stereolithography technology can be used to advantage. HandyLab, Inc. is creating a family of portable instruments for such purposes as the analysis of infectious diseases and detecting biological threats. The technology is based on a disposable cartridge that incorporates proprietary microfluidic systems. Components such as microchannel networks, pumps, reaction chambers and valves are integrated in the cartridge to form a complete instrument. HandyLab wanted to shorten the time required to prototype and test the instruments. Using standard techniques like lithography would have been slow and expensive, and wouldn’t accommodate some of the technical requirements such as the aspect ratios of channels.