Protofluidics - Custom Microfluidic Solutions

At the Department of Technical Biology, Augsburg University we use high-resolution 3D printing techniques to develop customized microfluidic systems for your application.

Scale: With feature sizes down to 100 µm in Z and 300 µm in X and Y direction tiny channel networks can be created in all three dimensions.
Complex shapes: Overhangs, hollow structures or even a small sphere inside a microchannel? Everything possible!
Materials: The rigid polyacrylate material our chips are typically fabricated from may be disinfected using ethanol or even sterilized by heat steam sterilization. Furthermore, the materials show biocompatibility in respect to USP class IV and ISO-10993.
Speed: On-demand fabrication of the microfluidic systems within a few hours enables iterative prototyping and minimize development times.

© University of Augsburg

Connectors

We support various standard connector types like Luer, Luer Lock, chromatography fittings freely combined and custom-tailored to your connector systems.

Mixing

Our tiny 3D-structured, passive micromixers overcome laminar flow and enable rapid and comprehensive mixing for dilutions gradients, nanoparticle synthesis and many more.

Sensor Integration

We integrate sensors of your choice into microfluidic systems to enable automated monitoring of your process.

Automation and Lab-on-a-Chip

Using valve and micropump systems for chip-based fluid handling we push dead volume to a minimum – ideal for low volume sampling of bioreactors, assaying, sensor calibration and many other applications.

Contact us

Please contact us at: protofluidics@physik.uni-augsburg.de

Thank you for your interest in our services in the field of microfluidic systems at the Department of Technical Biology, Augsburg University.

We offer a wide range of services, ranging from the development of customized microfluidic systems to the adaptation of existing systems for your specific applications. Our high-resolution 3D printing techniques enable us to develop precise and individual solutions tailored to your requirements.

The recommended methods are always tailored to your specific goals and needs. This forms the basis for a solution-oriented, predictable, and efficient process of proposal creation and order processing.

Furthermore, we work closely with the Institute of Physics (IfP) and the Institute of Materials Resource Management (MRM) to provide you with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary service offering.

Publications

A Enders, I Siller, K Urmann, MR Hoffmann, J Bahnemann
3D printed Microfluidic Mixers – a Comparative Study on Mixing Unit Performances;
Small 15 (2), 1804326 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201804326

C Heuer, JA Preuss, M Buttkewitz, T Scheper, E Segal, J Bahnemann
A 3D-Printed Microfluidic Gradient Generator with Integrated Photonic Silicon Sensors for Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing;
Lab on a Chip 22 (24), 4950-4961 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1039/D2LC00640E

IG Siller, JP Preuß, K Urmann, MR Hoffmann, T Scheper, J Bahnemann
3D-Printed Flow Cells for Aptamer-Based Impedimetric Detection of E. coli Crooks Strain;
Sensors 20 (16), 4421 (2020); https://doi.org/10.3390/s20164421

A Enders, JA Preuß, J Bahnemann
3D printed microfluidic spiral separation device for continuous, pulsation-free and controllable CHO cell retention;
Micromachines 12 (9) (2021); https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12091060

C Kortmann, T Habib, C Heuer, D Solle, J Bahnemann
A Novel 3D-Printed and Miniaturized Periodic Counter Current Chromatography System for Continuous Purification of Monoclonal Antibodies;
Micromachines 15(3), 382 (2024); https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15030382

KV Meyer, S Winkler, P Lienig, G Dräger, J Bahnemann
3D-Printed Microfluidic Perfusion System for Parallel Monitoring of Hydrogel-Embedded Cell Cultures;
Cells 12(14), 1816 (2023); https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12141816

MA Buttkewitz, C Heuer, J Bahnemann
Sensor integration into microfluidic systems: trends and challenges;
Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Volume 83, 102978 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2023.102978

A Enders, A Grünberger, J Bahnemann
Towards Small Scale: Overview and Applications of Microfluidics in Biotechnology;
Mol Biotechnol, Volume 66, 365–377 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-022-00626-6

S Winkler, KV Meyer, C Heuer, C Kortmann, M Dehne, J Bahnemann
In vitro biocompatibility evaluation of a heat‐resistant 3D printing material for use in customized cell culture devices;
Engineering in Life Sciences 22 (11), 699-708 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.202100104

H Heuer, JA Preuß, T Habib, A Enders, J Bahnemann
3D printing in biotechnology—An insight into miniaturized and microfluidic systems for applications from cell culture to bioanalytics;
Engineering in Life Sciences 22 (12), 744-759 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.202100081

IG Siller, A Enders, P Gellermann, S Winkler, A Lavrientieva, T Scheper, J Bahnemann
Characterization of a customized 3D-printed cell culture system using clear, translucent acrylate that enables optical online monitoring;
Biomed. Mater. 15 055007 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-605X/ab8e97

Technical Biology