Microfluidic devices are widely used in the fields of biomedicine, chemical synthesis, agricultural management and environmental detection due to their small size, fast response speed and high detection sensitivity.With the rapid development of modern additive manufacturing technology, 3D printing technology provides a more attractive solution for the manufacture of microfluidic devices.Compared with traditional micromachining technology, 3D printing technology has the advantages of fast design and processing speed, wide material adaptability and low cost.At present, the main methods of manufacturing microfluidic devices using 3D printing technology include stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), fused deposition modeling (FDM) and direct ink writing (DIW), etc.FDM and DIW technologies are mainly based on material extrusion methods. The manufacturing process is relatively simple, and they have more advantages in terms of material adaptability and cost. They are ideal choices for 3D printing microfluidic devices.However, most of the microfluidic devices manufactured by FDM method are opaque or translucent, and they face complex and time-consuming post-processing, which limits their practical application to some extent.According to Memes Consulting, recently, the research team of Shenyang Agricultural University and Liaoning Provincial Agricultural Information Engineering Technology Research Center jointly proposed a 3D printing technology based on the DIW method, which provides an efficient way for the manufacture of microfluidic devices. and low cost solution.The research results have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.In this study, the material used for 3D printing microfluidic devices was Dowsil 732 from Dow Corning in the United States, which is used as a sealant or encapsulant in various industries.The research team evaluated Dowsil 732's curing time and surface hydrophobicity, proving its suitability for the fabrication of microfluidic devices.(A) Curing time of Dowsil 732 at different temperatures; (B) Curing time of Dowsil 732 at different humidity; (C) Contact angle measurement of Dowsil 732 surface liquid.In order to ensure a high-precision microchannel structure, the research team measured the extrusion speeds of 340μm and 420μm nozzles in the pressure range of 55-70psi, and analyzed the influence of printing pressure and printing speed on the accuracy of the channel wall, and then based on the actual measurement Based on the data, an optimization model of printing parameters was established with the printing pressure and speed as the input and the precision of the microchannel wall as the output.The observation results show that the predicted value of the model matches the experimental data very well, with an accuracy of more than 95%, which can effectively reflect the changing trend of printing speed, printing pressure and channel wall accuracy.Therefore, the model can be used to predict the 3D printing results of microchannel walls.(A) Comparison chart of the actual printing width of the channel and the design size of the 340 μm nozzle; (B) Comparison chart of the actual printing width of the channel and the design size of the 420 μm nozzle; (C) Schematic diagram of the straight channel printed by the 340 μm nozzle; (D) Diagram of the straight channel printed by the 340 μm nozzle Schematic of the printed curved channel.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05350-4 Further reading: "3D Printing Hardware Technology and Market - 2022 Edition" "3D Printing Composite Material Technology and Market - 2021 Edition" "Microfluidic Startup Company Research "