Versatile hybrid technique for passive straight micromixer manufacturing by combining pulsed laser ablation, stereolithographic 3D printing and computational fluid dynamics

Identifier:  imarina:9433290

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9433290

Authors:  Carnero, B; Radziunas-Salinas, Y; Rodiño-Janeiro, BK; Ballesta, SV; Flores-Arias, MT

Abstract:
There is a need to develop new and versatile fabrication methods to achieve efficient mixing of fluids in microfluidic channels using microstructures. This work presents a new technique that combines stereolithography (SLA) and pulsed laser ablation (PLA) to manufacture a straight micromixer for uniform mixing of two samples. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is performed to deeply understand the physical mechanisms of the process. The results suggest that this new optical technique holds the potential to become a versatile hybrid technique for manufacturing remarkable mixing microfluidic devices. The proposed hybrid technique for passive straight micromixer manufacturing by combining pulsed laser ablation and stereolithographic 3D printing.