Manufacturing Flexible Fluidic Elements via Selective Impregnation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluidic elements are fragile, difficult, and expensive to manufacture, and often require heating processes, limiting their flexibility and applicability in various fields, especially in lab-on-chip applications.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a three-dimensional cellular material with elastic deformability, such as silicone or polyurethane foam, where a second material in liquid form is imbibed and selectively evacuated to create permeable and impermeable zones without the need for heating, using compression and crosslinking to form a flexible and deformable fluidic element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional manufacturing processes are used to create fluidic elements, then fluidic elements can be manufactured, but they are fragile, difficult and expensive to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining a cellular material (providing mechanical strength and durability) with a second material (providing fluidic functionality). This composite approach allows the fluidic element to be both durable and easy to manufacture, as the cellular material provides structural integrity while the second material can be easily deposited and removed to create fluidic pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a cellular material with open cells as the base structure. This porous material provides inherent mechanical strength and durability while allowing easy penetration by the second material. The cellular structure enables simple manufacturing through impregnation and evacuation processes, avoiding complex fabrication steps.
2Adaptability or versatility
If heating means are used to melt material for creating fluidic elements, then material can be added to create impermeable zones, but the process becomes complex and the element's field of application is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal processing (heating to melt material) with mechanical processing (compression to evacuate material). This substitution eliminates the need for heating means, simplifies the manufacturing process, and expands the field of application to include temperature-sensitive applications where heating would be inappropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameter from temperature (heating) to pressure (compression). By using compression instead of heating to manipulate the second material, the process becomes simpler and more versatile, applicable to a broader range of materials and applications where thermal processing would be limiting.
3Adaptability or versatility
If rigid structures are used for fluidic elements, then manufacturing is straightforward, but flexibility and deformability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a cellular material with inherent flexibility and elastic deformability as the base structure. This flexible cellular material, combined with the second material deposited within it, creates a fluidic element that maintains flexibility and deformability while being simple to manufacture through impregnation and evacuation processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting fluidic element is simple, reliable, inexpensive, and highly flexible, enabling a wide range of applications including filtration and fluid flow control, with controlled permeable zones and impermeable structures that can be easily manipulated and sealed.
Implementation Method 1
Imbibition of the cellular material by the second material present in the initial liquid state
Implementation Method 2
the evacuation step is implemented by compression of the cellular material soaked in said area
Implementation Method 3
a three-dimensional cellular material which has a degree of elastic deformability in compression and in extension comprised between 10% and 500% relative to an initial shape
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~6B
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a fluidic element (1), which consists of forming at least one permeable zone (10) and one impermeable zone (11) to a fluid in a three-dimensional cellular material, by adding at least one second material in an initial liquid state. The method will, for example, comprise the following steps: - Imbibition of the cellular material by the second material in its initial liquid state, - Removal of the second material in its initial liquid state from at least one zone of the cellular material, in order to make said zone permeable (10).