Rapid, simple microchannel prototyping is critical for the development of modern microfluidic devices and platforms. Laser cutting (ablation) using a commercially available continuous wave (CW) CO₂ laser followed by thermal bonding is one of the most common approaches for prototyping in thermoplastics such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). However, this technique suffers from poorly controlled channel quality, inconsistent results from solvent-based post-processing, and inconsistency of thermal bonding. We have overcome these challenges through a systematic study of channel ablation in PMMA using a CW CO₂ laser. A new solvent treatment approach results in clearly improved microchannel quality and processing consistency, with negligible residual solvent. Thermal bonding of the processed material showed fourfold increase in bonding strength with full retention of PMMA’s favourable optical clarity. As proof of concept, a high-quality three-layered microfluidic prototype is fabricated with this new method and its performance demonstrated.

快速，简单的微通道原型设计对于开发现代微流控设备和平台至关重要。使用可商购的连续波（CW）CO ₂激光进行热切割进行激光切割（消融），然后进行热粘合，是在热塑性塑料（例如聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA））中进行原型制作的最常见方法之一。但是，该技术的缺点是通道质量控制不佳，基于溶剂的后处理结果不一致以及热键合不一致。我们通过使用CW CO ₂对PMMA进行通道消融的系统研究克服了这些挑战激光。一种新的溶剂处理方法可显着改善微通道质量和加工一致性，而残留溶剂可以忽略不计。加工材料的热粘合显示粘合强度增加了四倍，同时完全保留了PMMA的良好光学清晰度。作为概念验证，使用此新方法制造了高质量的三层微流体原型，并证明了其性能。