TW201927515A - Extruding device, wax printing device and wax printing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An extruding device adapted to provide a forming material is provided. The extruding device includes a storage tube, a piston element and an output element. The storage tube has a space adapted to fill the forming material. The piston element is disposed in the space and covers one end of the forming material. The piston element is adapted to move in the space. The output element is disposed at one end of the storage tube and covers the other end of the forming material. The output element has an opening. Wherein the storage tube and the output element are adapted to receive a heat source to heat the forming material to a liquid state. The forming material is pushed toward the output element by the piston element in the storage tube and outputted from the opening. In addition, the wax printing device and wax printing method thereof are also provided.

Description

Extrusion device, wax printing device and wax printing method thereof

The present invention relates to an output device, a printing device, and a printing method thereof, and more particularly to an extrusion device, a wax printing device, and a wax printing method thereof.

A microfluidic paper-based device (mPAD) is a sensor built on paper. Because it uses a low-cost material as a substrate, the sensor is very cheap and easy to carry. In addition, it is also very convenient to use as a disposable sensor, and it is very promising to become a commercial point-of-care, and it is also in conformity with the World Health Organization (WHO). An overview of "affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, fast and powerful, device-free" medical devices. To date, many researchers have applied paper microfluidic analysis devices to various sensing methods such as glucose, protein, uric acid, Escherichia coli, cancer cells and many other chemicals, which proves that paper microfluidic analysis devices can be put into medical treatment. Diagnosis and environmental monitoring.

In the paper microchannel analysis device, since the paper substrate is hydrophilic, in order to manufacture the paper microchannel analysis device, a hydrophobic barrier is usually established to restrict the fluid flow to a desired position or to indicate a fluid along the edge. The path of expectation. Various technologies such as photoresist, plasma processing, wax processing, screen printing, flexographic printing, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) printing, and laser processing techniques have been developed. Create a hydrophobic barrier.

However, for the time being, although paper microfluidic analysis devices have developed many manufacturing methods, most of the manufacturing techniques have some disadvantages, and the materials used in some manufacturing techniques are quite expensive. In addition, the printing resolution of the paper microfluidic analysis device is also easily reduced by using a simpler or lower cost manufacturing technique. Therefore, how to simplify the complicated multi-step technology to effectively reduce the manufacturing cost while maintaining good printing resolution is a goal that those skilled in the art are striving for.

The invention provides a pressing device, a wax printing device and a wax printing method thereof, which can effectively simplify the manufacturing process of the micro flow channel component, greatly reduce the manufacturing cost thereof, and improve the printing resolution of the micro flow channel component.

An embodiment of the invention provides a squeezing device adapted to provide a molding material. The squeezing device includes a hollow storage tube, a piston member, and an output member. The hollow storage tube has an accommodating space suitable for filling the molding material. The piston element is disposed in the accommodating space and covers one end of the molding material. The piston element is adapted to move in the accommodation space. The output member is disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube and covers the other end of the molding material. The output member has an opening. Wherein, the hollow storage tube and the output member are adapted to receive a heat source to heat the molding material into a liquid state. The molding material is pushed out of the opening by the piston member in the hollow storage tube toward the output member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the main component of the molding material is paraffin wax.

In an embodiment of the invention, the squeezing device further includes a pump coupled to the piston member. The pump receives an operational signal to move the piston element in the accommodating space.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pressing device further includes a cover member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube opposite to the output member. The cover member has a perforation adapted to pass a connecting rod of the piston member through the perforation.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a wax printing device suitable for making a microfluidic element. The wax printing device includes a moving module and a pressing device. The mobile module includes a mobile device and a carrier platform. The squeezing device is disposed on the mobile module and is adapted to move in a three-dimensional space by the mobile device and provide a molding material. The squeezing device includes a hollow storage tube, a piston member, and an output member. The hollow storage tube has an accommodating space suitable for filling the molding material. The piston element is disposed in the accommodating space and covers one end of the molding material. The piston element is adapted to move in the accommodation space. The output member is disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube and covers the other end of the molding material. The output member has an opening. Wherein, the hollow storage tube and the output member are adapted to receive a heat source to heat the molding material into a liquid state. The molding material is pushed in the hollow storage tube by the piston member toward the output member and is output from the opening to a paper body, so that the liquid molding material solidifies in the paper body to form a micro flow path structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the main component of the molding material is paraffin wax.

In an embodiment of the invention, the squeezing device further includes a pump coupled to the piston member. The pump receives an operational signal to move the piston element in the accommodating space.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pressing device further includes a cover member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube opposite to the output member. The cover member has a perforation adapted to move the piston member in the perforation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wax printing device further includes a processor electrically connected to the mobile module and the pump. The processor is adapted to provide an operational signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wax printing device further includes a heating device coupled to the pressing device and adapted to provide a heat source to the output member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wax printing device further includes at least one electronic device connected to the processor.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a wax printing method suitable for making a microfluidic element. The wax printing method comprises: providing a wax printing device comprising a moving module, a pressing device and a pump. The squeezing device is disposed on the moving module, the squeezing device comprises a hollow storage tube, a piston component and an output component; a paper body is provided to a carrying platform of the moving module, and a molding material is provided to the hollow storage material Providing an operation signal to the wax printing device; providing a heat source to the pressing device according to the operation signal and operating the moving module to move the pressing device; providing molding material to the paper body to form a micro flow channel structure; and completing Microchannel components.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wax printing device further includes a heating device connected to the pressing device, and the method for providing a heat source to the pressing device according to the operation signal further comprises: detecting the pressing device a temperature signal; and starting the heating device according to the temperature signal to adjust the temperature of the pressing device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the above method for providing a molding material to a paper body to form a micro flow channel structure further comprises: providing a molding material to the paper body to solidify in the paper body to form a part of the micro flow channel structure; And repeatedly providing the molding material to the paper body to push a portion of the micro flow path structure in the paper body away from the pressing device and solidify in the paper body to form another portion of the micro flow channel structure.

Based on the above, in the wax printing device of the present invention and the wax printing method thereof, the wax printing device moves the pressing device by moving the module, and simultaneously heats the molding material in the pressing device by the heat source and by the piston The component is pushed to provide a molding material to the paper body to form a microchannel structure, thereby fabricating a microchannel element. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the micro flow path component can be effectively simplified, the manufacturing cost thereof can be greatly reduced, and the printing resolution of the micro flow path component can be improved.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

1 is a schematic view of a wax printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the extrusion apparatus of Figure 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the wax printing apparatus 100 can be regarded as being placed in a space defined by a rectangular coordinate system formed by the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The wax printing device 100 is adapted to make a microfluidic element 50. The microfluidic element 50 is, for example, a paper microfluidic analysis device or other paper based detecting device that can be used to detect or analyze chemicals. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the wax printing apparatus 100 supplies a molding material 20 to a paper body 10 to form the micro flow path member 50.

Specifically, the wax printing device 100 includes a moving module 110 and a pressing device 120. The mobile module 110 includes a mobile device 112 and a carrier platform 114. In the present embodiment, the mobile device 112 is used to move the extrusion device 120 in a three-dimensional space, and the carrier platform 114 is used to carry the microfluidic component 50 in production. For example, in the present embodiment, the carrying platform 114 and the mobile device 112 move the micro flow channel component 50 to be fabricated and the second driving component in the Y-axis and X-axis directions, respectively, by the first driving component 115. 116 moves the extrusion device 120 for printing. Before the printing starts, the mobile device 112 performs initial height correction with the third driving element 117, for example, in the Z-axis direction. In this way, high-precision automatic control can be realized to improve the printing resolution of the micro flow path element 50. The first driving element 115, the second driving element 116, and the third driving element 117 may be selected by a stepping motor, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the mobile device 112 and the carrier platform 114 can be configured to respectively move the objects in combination with the driving elements in different dimensions, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The squeezing device 120 is disposed on the mobile module 110 and is adapted to move and provide the molding material 20 in the three-dimensional space by the mobile device 110. In the present embodiment, the main component of the molding material 20 is paraffin wax. However, in other embodiments, the molding material 20 may be, for example, a solid ink such as a polymer material or a low melting point metal, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The squeezing device 120 includes a hollow reservoir tube 121, a piston member 122, and an output member 125.

The hollow storage tube 121 has an accommodation space G suitable for filling the molding material 20. The material of the hollow storage tube 121 is, for example, a metal. For example, in the present embodiment, the hollow storage tube 121 is a hollow copper tube, but in other embodiments, it may be made of other metal or a heat conductive material. In the present embodiment, the hollow storage tube 121 has an inner diameter of 14 mm and an outer diameter of 22 mm, but the invention is not limited thereto.

The piston member 122 is disposed in the accommodating space G and covers one end of the molding material 20, and the piston member 122 is adapted to move in the accommodating space G. In detail, in the present embodiment, the pressing device 120 further includes a pump 126 coupled to the piston member 122. The pump 126 is, for example, a stepping motor, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The pump 126 receives an operation signal to move the piston member 122 in the accommodating space G. Specifically, the piston member 122 includes a piston member 123 and a link 124. In the present embodiment, the piston member 123 has a diameter of 14 mm and a thickness of 6 mm, and is mainly made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or other kinds of plastics, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The link 124 is coupled between the piston member 123 and the pump 126. Therefore, when the pump 126 receives the operation signal, the piston member 123 is pushed by the link 124 to push the molding material 20 out.

In the present embodiment, the pressing device 120 further includes a cover member 127 disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube 121 opposite to the output member 125 to seal the hollow storage tube 121. The cover member 127 has a perforation H adapted to move the piston member 122 in the perforation H. Specifically, the link 124 of the piston member 122 extends through the perforation H. In the present embodiment, the cover member 127 is, for example, a silicone plug having a diameter of 14 mm.

In addition, in the embodiment, the pressing device 120 further has a limiting member 128 disposed on the connecting rod 124. When the pump 126 pushes the piston member 123 by the link 124, the link 124 can stop moving further by a frame 160 for supporting the pressing device 120 against the stopper 128. In other words, the user can further limit the range in which the piston member 123 can move by adjusting the stopper 128 on the link 124, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The output member 125 is disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube 121 and covers the other end of the molding material 20. Specifically, the output member 125 covers one end of the hollow storage tube 121, and the molding material 20 is filled between the output member 125 and the piston member 123. In detail, the output member 125 has an opening O through which the molding material 20 can be extruded. The material of the output element 125 is, for example, a metal. For example, in the embodiment, the output element 125 is a screw-shaped needle made of aluminum, and the aperture of the opening is less than 0.3 mm, but in other embodiments, it may be Made of other metal or heat conductive materials.

In the present embodiment, since the molding material 20 is selected from paraffin wax having a melting point higher than normal temperature, when the molding material 20 is extruded, an additional heat source may be provided to the hollow storage tube 121 made of metal or other heat conductive material or The output member 125, in turn, heats and melts the molding material 20 into a liquid state. In this way, the molding material 20 can be heated and melted into a liquid state by the heat conduction effect of the hollow storage tube 121 and the output member 125.

While the molding material 20 is heated and melted into a liquid state, the applied pressure is urged toward the output member 125 by the piston member 122, so that the molding material 20 can be smoothly extruded from the opening O of the output member 125 to be in the paper body 10. The microchannel structure 30 is solidified to form a microchannel element 50. In this way, the wax printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can fabricate the micro flow path member 50 without using an additional organic solvent, a light mask, or various molds. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the micro flow path member 50 can be effectively simplified, and the manufacturing cost thereof can be drastically reduced.

It is worth mentioning that in the present embodiment, the molding material 20 can be adjusted according to the type or demand of the micro-channel element 50 to be produced. In detail, the molding material 20 exhibits a liquid state when extruded by the pressing device 120, and thus can penetrate into the fiber gap of the paper body 10 by capillary action. At this time, since the molding material 20 is away from the heat source, the viscosity in the paper body 10 is rapidly increased to form the microchannel structure 30.

Thus, the user can again provide the molding material 20 to the paper body to push the previously formed microchannel structure 30, while the molding material 20 just provided is rapidly increased in viscosity to form a new microchannel structure 30. In other words, as the number of times the molding material 20 is provided increases, the range of reachable depths of the formed microchannel structure 30 is greater. In this way, compared with the conventional manufacturing method, the embodiment can reduce the influence on the molding width of the micro-channel structure 30 while increasing the depth of the micro-channel structure 30 in the micro-channel element 50, thereby reducing the micro-flow path. Element 50 prints the effect of resolution.

In the embodiment, the wax printing device 100 further includes a processor 130, a heating device 140, and at least one electronic device 150. The processor 130 is electrically connected to the mobile module 110 , the pressing device 120 , the heating device 140 , and the at least one electronic device 150 . In detail, the processor 130 can provide an operation signal to the first driving component 124, the second driving component 126, and the third in the mobile module 110 for respectively driving the pressing device 120 or the paper body 10 in three-dimensional space. The drive element 128, in turn, moves the squeezing device 120 to form the microfluidic structure 30 in the paper body 10.

The processor 130 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (Microprocessor), a microprocessor (Micro controller), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, A Programmable Logic Device (PLD) or other similar device or a combination of these devices is not limited in the present invention. In this embodiment, the processor 130 selects the Arduino Mega 2560 microprocessor.

In addition, the processor 130 can further provide an operational signal to the pump 126 on the squeezing device 120 while providing an operational signal to the heating device 140. Therefore, the molding material 20 in the pressing device 120 can be heated immediately and extruded by the piston member 122. As a result, the molding material 20 can be made into a liquid state and infiltrated into the paper body 10, thereby forming the microchannel structure 30. Therefore, the wax printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment does not need to heat the paper body 10 to melt the molding material 20 after the molding material 20 is extruded, as compared with the conventional manner of manufacturing the micro flow path member.

In the present embodiment, the heating device 140 is coupled to the extrusion device 120 and provides a heat source to the output member 125. In detail, the heating device 140 is, for example, a heating member embedded in the output member 125, and heats the output member 125 and the hollow storage tube 121 by the current information provided by the processor 130, thereby melting the molding near the opening O. Material 20. In addition, the processor 130 can also monitor the actual temperature of the output element 125 to adjust the current information input to the heating device 140, thereby controlling the temperature of the molding material 20 at the time of output. In this way, the distance of the molding material 20 flowing on the paper body 10 can be controlled by the effect of the temperature gradient to complete the high-resolution printing effect.

In the embodiment, the electronic device 150 is, for example, a battery or a display, respectively, for providing power to the processor 130 or displaying the production information, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

Figure 3 is a graph showing the width of the microfluidic structure printed in the wax printing apparatus of Figure 1. Referring also to FIGS. 1 through 3, the horizontal axis is the printing width of the wax printing apparatus 100 in micrometers, and the vertical axis is the actual width measured on the microchannel element 50 in micrometers. As shown in FIG. 3, the wax printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured to print a micro flow channel structure 30 having a printing width of 200 to 500 micrometers, and an actual width of 400 to 1000 micrometers can be obtained by actual measurement, and The experimental data yielded a correlation coefficient of up to 0.985 and formed a microchannel structure 30 having an effective width of 468 microns. In other words, the wax printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can effectively control the flow distance of the liquid molding material 20 by the heating device 140, thereby improving the printing resolution of the micro flow path member 50.

4 is a flow chart showing the steps of a wax printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , the wax printing method of the embodiment can be applied to the wax printing device of FIG. 1 , but the wax printing method of the embodiment does not need to be printed with the wax of FIG. 1 . The device is executed. In step S200, a wax printing device 100 is provided, including a moving module 110, a pressing device 120, and a pump 126. The pressing device 120 is disposed in the moving module 110. The pressing device 120 includes a hollow storage tube 121 and a piston. Element 122 and output element 125.

Next, in step S210, the paper body 10 is supplied onto the carrying platform 114 of the mobile module 110, and the molding material 20 is supplied into the hollow storage tube 120. Next, in step S220, an operation signal is supplied to the wax printing device 100. Next, in step S230, a heat source is supplied to the pressing device 120 according to the operation signal and the moving module 110 is operated to move the pressing device 120. Next, in step S240, the molding material 20 is supplied to the paper body 10 to form the micro flow path structure 30.

Finally, in step S240, the microchannel element 50 is completed. In this way, the wax printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can fabricate the micro flow path member 50 without using an additional organic solvent, a light mask, or various molds. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the micro flow path member 50 can be effectively simplified, and the manufacturing cost thereof can be greatly reduced, and the printing resolution of the micro flow path member 50 can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wax printing device 100 further includes a heating device 140 connected to the pressing device 120, and may further include the step of detecting a temperature signal on the pressing device 120 in step S230. And the step of initiating the heating device 140 to adjust the temperature of the pressing device 120 based on the temperature signal. As a result, the temperature increase of the molding material 20 in the pressing device 120 can be further controlled, while the step of additionally heating the paper body 10 to melt the molding material 20 can be omitted.

It is worth mentioning that in the present embodiment, in step S240, the method of providing the molding material 20 to the paper body 10 to form the micro flow channel structure 30 further includes providing the molding material 20 to the paper body 10 to be in the paper body 10. It solidifies to form part of the microchannel structure 30. Next, the molding material 20 is repeatedly supplied to the paper body 10 to push a part of the micro flow path structure 30 in the paper body 10 away from the pressing device 120, and solidify in the paper body 10 to form a micro flow path structure. Another part of 30. In addition, in the present embodiment, the number of times the molding material 20 is supplied to the paper body 10 can be adjusted according to different kinds of micro flow path members 50 to increase the depth of the micro flow path structure 30 in the micro flow path member 50. At the same time, the influence on the molding width of the microchannel structure 30 is reduced, thereby reducing the influence on the printing resolution of the microchannel element 50.

In summary, in the wax printing device of the present invention and the wax printing method thereof, the wax printing device moves the pressing device by moving the module, and simultaneously heats the molding material in the pressing device by the heat source and borrows The microfluidic element is fabricated by pushing the piston element to provide a molding material to the paper body to form a microchannel structure. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the micro flow path component can be effectively simplified, the manufacturing cost thereof can be greatly reduced, and the printing resolution of the micro flow path component can be improved.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

10‧‧‧paper body

20‧‧‧ molding materials

30‧‧‧Microchannel structure

50‧‧‧Microchannel components

100‧‧‧Wax printing device

110‧‧‧Mobile Module

112‧‧‧Mobile devices

114‧‧‧Loading platform

115‧‧‧First drive element

116‧‧‧Second drive element

117‧‧‧ Third drive component

120‧‧‧Extrusion device

121‧‧‧ hollow storage tube

122‧‧‧ piston components

123‧‧‧ piston parts

124‧‧‧ Connecting rod

125‧‧‧Output components

126‧‧‧

127‧‧‧Cleaning pieces

128‧‧‧Limited parts

130‧‧‧Processor

140‧‧‧ heating device

160‧‧‧Frame

G‧‧‧ accommodating space

H‧‧‧Perforation

O‧‧‧ openings

S200～S250‧‧‧Steps

1 is a schematic view of a wax printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the extrusion apparatus of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a graph showing the width of the microfluidic structure printed in the wax printing apparatus of Figure 1. 4 is a flow chart showing the steps of a wax printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (14)

An extrusion device is adapted to provide a molding material, comprising: a hollow storage tube having an accommodating space adapted to fill the molding material; a piston member disposed in the accommodating space and covering the molding material One end of the piston member adapted to move in the accommodating space; and an output member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube and covering the other end of the molding material, the output member having an opening, wherein the hollow The reservoir tube and the output member are adapted to receive a heat source to heat the molding material to a liquid state, the molding material being outputted from the opening by the piston member being urged toward the output member within the hollow reservoir tube. The extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the molding material has a main component of paraffin wax. The squeezing device of claim 1, wherein the squeezing device further comprises: a pump connected to the piston member, the pump receiving an operation signal to cause the piston member to be in the accommodating space mobile. The squeezing device of claim 1, wherein the squeezing device further comprises: a cover member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube opposite to the output member, the cover member having a perforation adapted to A connecting rod of the piston element is passed through the perforation. A wax printing device, which is suitable for fabricating a micro flow channel component, comprising: a mobile module including a moving device and a carrying platform; and a pressing device disposed on the moving module, the pressing device is adapted to The moving device moves in a three-dimensional space and provides a molding material, the pressing device comprises: a hollow storage tube having an accommodating space adapted to fill the molding material; a piston element disposed in the capacity a space in the cover and covering one end of the molding material, the piston element is adapted to move in the accommodating space; and an output member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube and covering the other end of the molding material, The output member has an opening, wherein the hollow reservoir tube and the output member are adapted to receive a heat source to heat the molding material to a liquid state, wherein the molding material is urged within the hollow storage tube by the piston member toward the output member The output is output from the opening to a paper body, and the liquid molding material is solidified in the paper body to form a micro flow path structure. The wax printing device according to claim 5, wherein the main component of the molding material is paraffin wax. The wax printing device of claim 5, wherein the pressing device further comprises a pump coupled to the piston member, the pump receiving an operation signal to cause the piston member to be in the accommodating space. mobile. The wax printing device of claim 5, wherein the pressing device further comprises a cover member disposed at one end of the hollow storage tube opposite to the output member, the cover member having a perforation adapted to The piston element is moved in the perforation. The wax printing device of claim 5, further comprising: a processor electrically connected to the mobile module and the pump, the processor being adapted to provide the operation signal. The wax printing device of claim 5, further comprising: a heating device coupled to the pressing device, adapted to supply the heat source to the output member. The wax printing device of claim 9, wherein the wax printing device further comprises: at least one electronic device connected to the processor. A wax printing method suitable for fabricating a micro flow channel component, comprising: providing a wax printing device, comprising a moving module, a pressing device and a pump, wherein the pressing device is disposed in the moving module The squeezing device comprises a hollow storage tube, a piston element and an output element; a paper body is provided on a carrying platform of the moving module, and a molding material is provided into the hollow storage tube; Signaling to the wax printing device; providing a heat source to the pressing device according to the operation signal and manipulating the moving module to move the pressing device; providing the molding material to the paper body to form a micro flow channel structure; The microchannel element is completed. The wax printing method of claim 12, wherein the wax printing device further comprises a heating device connected to the pressing device, and the method of providing the heat source to the pressing device according to the operation signal is further The method includes: detecting a temperature signal on the pressing device; and starting the heating device according to the temperature signal to adjust the temperature of the pressing device. The wax printing method of claim 12, wherein the method of providing the molding material to the paper body to form the micro flow channel structure further comprises: providing the molding material to the paper body to be in the paper body Solidifying to form a portion of the microfluidic structure; and repeatedly providing the molding material to the paper body to push a portion of the microfluidic structure in the paper body away from the extrusion device, and on the paper The body solidifies to form another part of the microchannel structure.