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Microfluidics for education: rapid prototyping testing

With its plug-and-play setup, the LSPone is very well suited for practical works in education. It is used in Swiss universities.

The aim of this practical work is to learn the technique of rapid prototyping for microfabrication and to test the fabrication by observing the flow of 2 liquids using optical microscopy. The LSPone is used to bring liquids and microbeads in the microchannels that have been fabricated by the students.

Who does this practical and what do they do?

This practical is taught (at different speeds) to bachelor students in the course “Micro et nanotechnologies appliquées” at the HE-ARC and to master students in the course “Microfluidique” at HES-SO, two Swiss universities of applied science.

It includes the following steps:

  1. Fabricating the mould for rapid prototyping
  2. PDMS moulding
  3. PDMS-glass bonding
  4. Measuring (this is where the LSPone comes in!) using a pump and a microscope
  5. Video analysis

A big thanks to Professor Alexandra Kämpfer-Homsy, from the Micro- and Nanosystems lab at HE-ARC, for sharing this with us.

What is my setup?

Required components:

  • Computer with Tracker installed
  • Fluorescence microscope
  • Your home-made chip
  • LSPone syringe pump
  • DI water & Microbeads
  • Waste reservoir
  • Tubings & Connectors
  • Optical fluoresence microscope used: SVW340 from Labsmith
  • Computer program used to analyse beads passing: Tracker
  • Microbeads used: FluoSpheresTM from ThermoFisher Scientific
  • Chip used: the one created by the student during the practical work

User feedback

“This pump is so easy to use compared to others I have tried. And the sofware is so simple. It’s a pleasure to use the LSPone.”
Pr. Alexandra Kämpfer-Homsy

What’s in it for you?

  • An easy-to-use pump
  • A compact solution
  • An intuitive software
  • A cost-friendly solution
  • A clear example for students