| The ALine Advantage: |
With expertise across multiple disciplines, we apply our know-how to ensure the best design and fabrication solution for your application.
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| Rapid Prototyping to Volume Manufacture: |
- No tooling costs involved in the fabrication of our devices means a lower development cost to you
- Attention to scalability in the design of our prototypes ensures a path to volume manufacture. We currently provide volume mfg. with part number and lot control for IVD product manufacturers.
- Spaceflight-proven manufacturing capability supports NASA mission.
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| Sophisticated On-board Functionality |
Our ability to use a variety of materials, including porous membranes, flexible pneumatic valves, recirculating pumps, and electrodes means we provide device developers with more functionality at a lower development cost.
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| Materials Expertise |
Our experience with bio-compatible materials and our proven success with NASA in the development of a robust, functional fluidic system for autonomous cell culture in space, demonstrate our ability to deliver the right solution at the right time.
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| Technology Platform |
We use additive and subtractive processes, similar to printed circuit board manufacture, to batch fabricate our devices. Using a CO2 laser with high quality optics ensures clean, precise cuts with minimal thermal damage. Our bonding process uses both pressure sensitive and thermal adhesives to create optically clear, debris free devices.
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| Specifications |
Feature size: to 25 microns
Repeatable alignment to 25 microns with standard process
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| Facilities |
Our facility has a class 10K clean room and class 100 clean bench for fabrication and assembly. We have high purity water, 18 MOhm, to ensure cleanliness and improved bio-compatibility
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| MATERIAL |
Table of Materials and Thickness (microns) |
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PMMA = polymethylmethacrylate (acrylic) cast or extruded
PET = polyethylene terphthalate
PS = polystyrene
PP = polypropylene
Silicone = sheet of medical grade material We can work with other materials on request.
We can work with other materials on request. Contact ALine
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| Adhesives |
Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
We use solvent acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives that are typically
used in the medical device market. They are optically clear and provide, upon complete cure in 48 hours, a crosslinked, permanent bond to the substrate.
The table below describes three adhesives that we use routinely.
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Table of Optically Clear Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
and Thickness (microns) |
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Thermal Bonding |
A 50 micron polypropylene thermal bond adhesive (melt temperature 180°F) can be used in place of the pressure sensitive adhesive.
Alternate thermal bond materials based on polyvinylindene dichloride (same stuff as plastic food wrap) and polyvinyl alcohol provides a low temperature thermal bond (160°F) to most substrates providing hydrophilic character to the channels.
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| Surface Treatments |
We typically use Ar plasma treatment to improve adhesion of the adhesives and to increase hydrophilicity of the polymer films. Ar plasma treatment of Silicone provides an effective way of pre-treating this hydrophobic material for permanent attachment to glass without adhesives.
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| Sterilization |
EtO sterilization of standard and custom products available upon request
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