Custom microfluidic chips require more than precise microchannels. For R&D teams moving from validated prototypes to commercial devices, material selection, microfeature replication, tooling accuracy and process repeatability all influence manufacturing feasibility. While PDMS is widely used in microfluidic research, thermoplastic materials such as COC, COP, PMMA and PC offer different advantages for applications requiring dimensional stability, repeatable production and inte

Project Requirements The chip architecture imposed strict technical requirements: Microchannel geometry with tight dimensional tolerances and no draft radius compensation Optical clarity for accurate signal detection, including in bonding-affected regions Dimensional stability after bonding PMMA-to-PMMA bonding without microchannel deformation At this scale, tool design, microchannel size and density, combined with material processing conditions, can result in incomplete fill