Arburg Demonstrates Lab-on-a-Chip Moulding at Medtec

German injection moulding manufacturer Arburg will be producing a component from a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device on a 600-ton electric Allrounder 370 A with size 70 injection unit at Medtec. The machine will be fitted with a two-cavity mould from specialist Austrian lab-on-a-chip and microfluidics mould maker z-microsystems.

The stainless steel in the exhibit is GMP-compliant and is equipped with a clean air module, making it ideal for use in the medical technology sector. Cleanroom elements from Ionstatex in Germany indicate the system’s suitability for production under cleanroom conditions.

The component being produced will be the bottom layer of a lab-on-a-chip device. Following moulding, assembly of the device involves the addition of a top layer containing its own microchip for transporting liquids and displaying results.

The bottom layer involves microstructures, so the highest mould and machine precision is of crucial importance. For this reason, Arburg prefers to use electric or hybrid machine technology in this area, completely satisfying the demands for evenness of the parts and reproducibility of production. In the case of the bottom layer presented at the Medtec, the part weight is 3.264 g with a shot weight of 7.98 g and a cycle time of 24 seconds.

As the dimensions of the lab-on-a-chip analysis units become smaller, it is generally predicted that microfluidics will play a major role in future medical technology. One of the possible areas of application in the medium term may be in the delivery of continuous analysis results, for example from patients with chronic illnesses.

Arburg will be at Medtec Europe on February 26-28, 2013, on stand 1/H04.