Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42171471›Full record

ArticleLab on a chip2026

Vacuum-enhanced high-resolution 3D printing yields 11 200 valves and uniform 7 μm isoporous membranes.

Dallin S Miner, Timothy B Skaggs, Barrett W Schafer, Heidi E Hunter, Troy Munro, Adam T Woolley, Gregory P Nordin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Lab on a chip, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Dallin S MinerBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3606-3965
Timothy B SkaggsBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.
Barrett W SchaferBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.
Heidi E HunterBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.
Troy MunroBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2557-4911
Adam T WoolleyBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.
Gregory P NordinBrigham Young University, USA. nordin@byu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7241-5764

Funding

High Density 3D Printed Microfluidics With Open Source Resins for Biomedical ApplicationsR15GM123405 · NIGMS · BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY · PI NORDIN, GREGORY P. · 2017 to 2023
$1.3M
3D-Printed Integrated Microfluidic Devices for Preterm Birth Biomarker AnalysisR01EB027096 · NIBIB · BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY · PI WOOLLEY, ADAM THOMAS · 2018 to 2021
$1.1M
Administrative Supplement for Equipment: 6-axis Positioner to Improve 3D Print Quality and Print SizeR15GM132868 · NIGMS · BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY · PI MUNRO, TROY · 2019 to 2023
$944k
NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB027096NIGMS NIH HHS R15 GM123405NIGMS NIH HHS R15 GM132868
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

High-resolution 3D printing holds promise for fabricating complex microfluidic devices, but challenges such as bubbles forming in the resin and becoming entrapped within printed layers, non-uniform illumination, and narrow processing windows limit yield, consistency, and scalability-particularly for dense, sub-10 μm features. Here we present a vacuum-enhanced 3D printing platform that integrates a custom printer, specialized resin formulation, and optimized protocols to overcome these barriers. We eliminate bubble formation and entrapment by applying a vacuum to remove dissolved gases from the resin and realize highly uniform illumination, with an irradiance standard deviation of just 0.18% across the full build area, while resolving downstream effects from the absence of dissolved oxygen. This approach dramatically expands reliable fabrication parameters and enables high-density integration without extensive manual optimization. We demonstrate the platform's capabilities by printing 11 200 membrane valves (150 μm diameter) in seven stacked layers of 1600 valves each, and by producing an array of 198 identical isoporous membranes with uniform 7 μm pores distributed across the full print area. These advances establish a pathway to scalable, high-density 3D-printed microfluidics.

Identifiers

PMID42171471
PMCPMC13383850

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.