Patent ID: 7767135

Claim:
A method of forming a microfluidic device, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mixture comprising a sinterable particulate material and a binder, the binder comprising, as a function of total resin content of the binder, at least 50% by weight of a thermoplastic binder material; shaping the mixture with a mold so as to form a structure having one or more open channels; setting the structure by cooling the structure or allowing the structure to cool; separating the structure from the mold; and debinding and sintering the structure, said sintering including sintering in together in contact with at least one additional structure so as to cover or enclose said channels so as to form a structured sintered article having fluidic channels formed therein, wherein the binder further comprises at least 5% by weight of a radiation-curable binder material and the method further comprises, after the step of separating the structure from the mold, the step of irradiating the structure, so as to at least partially cure the radiation-curable binder material, and wherein the step of irradiating comprises irradiating the structure sufficiently such that the yield stress of the mixture is at least 8 Pa at temperatures in the range of 70 to 120° C.