I'm trying to make some 3D printed microfluidic chambers on glass slides by using fused deposition modeling and printing directly on the glass. The problem of course is that due to differences in thermal expansion/contraction, the PLA falls off as soon as the glass/PLA interface cools due to thermal stresses. I've tried typical adhesives for printing like hairspray, etc. but these only really give a temporary bond until the material cools.
Are there any sprayable adhesives that could easily bond glass to PLA that I could use in a step by step mask method (printing the inside of the microfluidic chamber, spray the adhesive, remove the inside, print the outside chamber, etc.)?
Is there another way to get this to occur? I thought about poly-l-lysine treated glass as well, but I haven't had a chance to try that yet.
This is the classic problem in 3D printing. Have you considered printing onto a different substrate, acrylic sheet for instance? PMMA and PLA are polyesters so are likely to adhere quite well. The only problem is that acrylic sheet deforms at around 80 deg.C. Another option might be the PET (Mylar) sheet used in photocopiers. Good luck.
You can simply acid etch with HF and the use a silanation agent for bonding lithium veneers such as Panavia Bind (Kurraray) since most 3D inks are polymer based.
Stanley, unfortunately, I don't want to use HF/damage the surface of the glass in anyway due to the nature of the experiment.
Have you considered clamping the slide and chamber together after printing? As long as the print is good it should still be watertight. The problem is that things (like gel superglue) that bind plastic and glass will also mess up your optics or need to be added after the fact. A clamping mechanism would leave the slide totally pristine and you should be able to get it watertight.
Actually, I have tried that. Unfortunately, even with the clamping (granted I was only using binder clips) it delaminates from the surface. Perhaps I should try a more significant/even clamping system.
That sounds like an engineering problem! Perhaps a redesign of the plastic piece to make it more robust / less deform-able combined with a better clamp? I'm happy to take a crack at it sometime tonight if you'd like.
Emrah Kaplan, no I have not, although my current aim is to try some high tack long bond adhesive like this: https://www.amazon.com/3M-72-Pressure-Sensitive-Adhesive/dp/B000WSIYZ8/ref=pd_cart_rp_2_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000WSIYZ8&pd_rd_r=411e1a3d-f4c5-41ab-90f0-257fdf8eaf9d&pd_rd_w=0wYxm&pd_rd_wg=Cqjtq&pf_rd_i=cart-page-widgets&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=f17ff0ed-8efa-4820-b4fd-13ce6431d279&pf_rd_r=G680GTTWXWY4NCQG8SR7&pf_rd_s=cart-page-widgets&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=G680GTTWXWY4NCQG8SR7
However, I haven't tested it so I don't know if it works well for small channels.
Benjamin Samuel Goldschmidt have you solved the problem? Can you please tell how?
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