3D printing of micro gears for microfluidic applications

• Main Author: Pang, Zi Teng
• Other Authors: Tor Shu Beng
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/74971
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is the current trend in fabricating complex objects and the technology is constantly improving. 3D printing is capable to printing in large scale such as houses and bridges and even in microscopic scale. This project explores the capabilities of metal 3D printing in producing micro gears, which may have dimensions as small as 50μm. Two typical powder-bed fusion metal 3D printers are chosen to print micro gears, specifically ARCAM A2XX which is an electron beam melting (EBM) printer and SLM®500 which is a selective laser melting (SLM) printer. The gears are to be used in microfluidics applications which will be explored in the literature review chapter. The designs, fabrication methods and materials used for the micro gears are among some of the topics discussed. Dimensions and features of 3D-printed gears will be examined by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy. The report will then conclude if micro 3D printing of metals has potential in this aspect.