3D Printed Fluidic Devices with Double Wedge Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 3D printing techniques face challenges in producing fluidic devices with high pressure fluid flow integrity, as they often result in fluid bypass and leakage due to issues like imperfect path filling, poor loop integrity, and voids in the packing density of chromatographic beds, making it difficult to achieve reliable chromatographic performance.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing techniques such as Double Wedge, Sealing Strand, Single-Strand Walls, Pinched Distributor/Gabled Roof, and Loop as Wipe methods to create impermeable structures with improved surface integrity, minimizing fluid bypass and leakage, and ensuring the integrity of fluid paths within the printed devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional 3D printing techniques are used to fabricate fluidic devices, then manufacturing complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but fluid bypass and leakage occur due to imperfect path filling and poor loop integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by designing and implementing specific printing path strategies (such as double-wedge loops and pinched distributor patterns) that pre-establish impermeable boundaries and seal potential bypass routes before fluid flow occurs. The printing paths are carefully planned to ensure loop integrity and prevent leakage from the outset, rather than attempting to correct issues after manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by modifying printing parameters such as extrusion rate, printing speed, and layer height to optimize the formation of impermeable walls and seals. By adjusting these parameters, the printing process creates denser, more reliable fluid paths that prevent bypass and leakage while maintaining the ease of additive manufacturing.
2Device complexity
If conventional 3D printing techniques are used with sequential layers or strands, then device complexity is reduced and manufacturing simplicity is improved, but flow homogeneity deteriorates due to bypass and dead zones
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the fluid distribution system into multiple controlled segments or zones. The printing paths are designed to create distinct, well-defined flow channels that prevent mixing and bypass between zones. This segmentation ensures homogeneous flow distribution while maintaining relatively simple device geometry suitable for additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes another dimension by employing multi-layer printing strategies where sealing strands are printed in alternating layers to create three-dimensional impermeable barriers. This approach to flow path design prevents bypass through the thickness of the device while maintaining planar simplicity, achieving homogenous flow without excessive device complexity.
3Reliability
If thick multi-layer plates are printed to create impermeable structures, then surface integrity is improved and leakage is reduced, but fluid bypass occurs within the layers and dead zones are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating sealing strands and impermeable structures only at critical locations where bypass is most likely to occur, such as at layer interfaces and along flow path boundaries. Rather than making the entire plate uniformly thick, the design places targeted sealing features locally, preventing bypass and dead zones while minimizing overall material usage and maintaining flow homogeneity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nested doll by embedding sealing strands and impermeable features within the multi-layer structure itself. The sealing elements are nested between functional layers, creating impermeable barriers without adding external thickness. This nested approach prevents bypass through the plate while avoiding the creation of dead zones in the fluid flow path.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluidic device includes an impermeable base, single-strand walls coupled to the impermeable plate. The single-strand walls include a plurality of loops, each loop has a lower part of a double wedge and an upper part of a double wedge aligned with the lower part of the double wedge. The device also includes a lattice connected to the single-strand wall with a loop-as-wipe connection and a gabbled roof disposed opposite the impermeable base and coupled to the tops of the single-strand walls.