{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/78136"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/78136","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Manufacturing and Optimization of a Wax-Based Microfluidic Fabrication System","abstract":"M.Eng.","abstract_html":"M.Eng.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Eadie, Nicholas"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Olewnik, Andrew","Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-06-28T20:34:36Z","date_published":"2018-06-28T20:34:36Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:09Z","subjects":["design"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/78136","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Olewnik, Andrew","Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Eadie, Nicholas"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2018-06-28T20:34:36Z","2018","2018-05-24 14:02:45"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["design"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/78136"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["M.Eng.","A new, innovative, wax based, contact printing method for the creation of microfluidic devices has been demonstrated. The goal of this research is the quantification of the impact a series of operating parameters has on this wax-based microfluidic printing system. The proposed system is compared with the traditional soft lithographic method, taking into account fabrication time, startup/per unit device costs, quality, resolution, and device performance. This work aims to optimize the wax-based printer system that utilizes additive manufacturing techniques and produces prototype devices with comparable operational efficiency, overcoming the inherent drawbacks associated with traditional methods. The wax-based system could not replace traditional methods in its current form, but has the potential to greatly reduce design and prototyping costs. To validate usability, two identical microfluidic circuits were compared, one made using soft photolithography and the other using the proposed wax-based method. The system uses a stylus to deposit wax on a substrate, such as a glass slide, creating a microfluidic wax master mold. To complete the device, a casting method utilizing Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used. The system, being a three dimensioned actuator, was modified with multiple 3D printed components to test various parameters with respect to optimizing the system. A Dynamic Response Taguchi 5-Level design of experiments was conducted using parameters of extruder tip write angle, motor speed, substrate temperature, and wax temperature, all of which contribute to the overall performance. Results show that the tip angle, followed by the motor speed, are the dominant parameters for channel profile symmetry, with slide temperature having a negligible effect. Additionally, the comparison of devices showed a traditional device having a 99.7% operating efficiency. The wax-based device operated at a 92.1% efficiency, but at both a substantial cost and time savings."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Manufacturing and Optimization of a Wax-Based Microfluidic Fabrication System"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Olewnik, Andrew","Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Eadie, Nicholas"],"dc:date":["2018-06-28T20:34:36Z","2018","2018-05-24 14:02:45"],"dc:description":["M.Eng.","A new, innovative, wax based, contact printing method for the creation of microfluidic devices has been demonstrated. The goal of this research is the quantification of the impact a series of operating parameters has on this wax-based microfluidic printing system. The proposed system is compared with the traditional soft lithographic method, taking into account fabrication time, startup/per unit device costs, quality, resolution, and device performance. This work aims to optimize the wax-based printer system that utilizes additive manufacturing techniques and produces prototype devices with comparable operational efficiency, overcoming the inherent drawbacks associated with traditional methods. The wax-based system could not replace traditional methods in its current form, but has the potential to greatly reduce design and prototyping costs. To validate usability, two identical microfluidic circuits were compared, one made using soft photolithography and the other using the proposed wax-based method. The system uses a stylus to deposit wax on a substrate, such as a glass slide, creating a microfluidic wax master mold. To complete the device, a casting method utilizing Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used. The system, being a three dimensioned actuator, was modified with multiple 3D printed components to test various parameters with respect to optimizing the system. A Dynamic Response Taguchi 5-Level design of experiments was conducted using parameters of extruder tip write angle, motor speed, substrate temperature, and wax temperature, all of which contribute to the overall performance. Results show that the tip angle, followed by the motor speed, are the dominant parameters for channel profile symmetry, with slide temperature having a negligible effect. Additionally, the comparison of devices showed a traditional device having a 99.7% operating efficiency. The wax-based device operated at a 92.1% efficiency, but at both a substantial cost and time savings."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/78136"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["design"],"dc:title":["Manufacturing and Optimization of a Wax-Based Microfluidic Fabrication System"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:09Z"}