Discover the key differences between macrofluidics and microfluidics. In this article, we explain the advantages of miniaturization, when microfluidic systems are a better match for your application and where the challenges lie. Furthermore, you’ll learn how Micronit can help you circumvent these challenges, whether this is in diagnostic, life science, or industrial analysis applications.

What is macrofluidics?

Macrofluidics is the handling and movement of liquid in a scale varying from standard laboratory glassware to bioreactors and industrial piping systems. Liquid processing in these settings is scalable to larger volumes and suitable for high volumes. The limitations of such settings are the amount of available liquid required to run through the system, the size of the setup, and the amount of manual processing steps.

When working with macrofluidics, normal gravity rules apply to the liquid behavior and turbulence is the main uncertainty factor. However, when scaling down to microfluidics, the force of gravity is overruled by forces such as capillary action and channel resistance. These forces play a major role in liquid behavior in microfluidic devices. They make liquid behavior more predictable, but have a higher impact when small tolerances differ.

What is microfluidics?

Microfluidics handles liquids of a much smaller volume, typically microliters down to picolitres, for which standard laboratory equipment is not suitable. It can be used to analyze and manipulate smaller volumes and samples. Microfluidics require specific knowledge of fluid behavior at this small scale and specialized, (sometimes) custom, tooling or chips. 

Compared to macrofluidic systems, a microfluidic product can be a great prototype, but hard to scale up to manufacture in high volumes. Not all materials are suitable for the processes and dimensions required for microfluidics, and the integration of components or interface with non-microfluidic systems can be a bottleneck. None of these challenges insurmountable, but they do require the knowledge of experts.

When is microfluidics the better choice?

There will always be systems and processes for which macrofluidics is the best (and only) logical solution. But when working with smaller samples size for which precise control is required, microfluidics is the logical solution. This is definitely the case in the following situations:

• When there's no large sample available.
• When working with costly liquids.
• When the uncertainty that turbulence brings into a fluidic system poses an unacceptable risk for the safety of reproducibility of the product.
• When a portable system is needed, for instance to perform tests in the field.
• When space is limited and a full lab bench simply takes up too much space.
• When the reaction and analysis time is significantly impacted by the volume of the sample, so by reducing the size, the outcome of a test is almost instant instead of a matter of hours.

Micronit to the rescue

Developing a successful microfluidic product requires expertise across the entire development cycle: from design to material choices and processing possibilities. Micronit supports this by providing:

• Microfluidic flow behavior knowledge
• Chip design and processing expertise
• Prototyping capabilities
• Manufacturing scale-up support
• Integration of microfluidics into cartridges and complete systems
• High-quality production for regulated markets

By combining engineering know-how with manufacturing expertise, Micronit helps bridging the gap between concepts, prototypes, and commercial products.