Legacy soft-lithography casting — manual, slow, and high-loss at every step.
Manual · high-loss process
We mold production-grade PDMS slabs in just 3 minutes — cutting chip cost to a fraction of manual casting, with industrial consistency at any volume.
Founded by engineering teams from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin, ProtoDive combines precision manufacturing with advanced semiconductor process technology. Built on over a decade of microfluidic research, we deliver end-to-end solutions — from design optimization to scalable, high-volume production.
Our industrial-grade injection molding technology offers substantial advantages over traditional lab-cast PDMS devices — in speed, cost, precision, and scale.
Our proprietary injection molding system produces a PDMS chip in ~3 minutes — versus hours of manual casting and curing.
Automated manufacturing keeps unit cost low and flat — pricing starts at just $20 per chip, viable from prototype to scale.
Intricate designs, stacked layers, and integrated features that soft lithography can't reach.
Identical channel dimensions and surface properties across the whole run — no operator variance.
From first prototype to high-volume production on the same tooling — your growth, uninterrupted.
Seamless transition from research prototypes to commercial manufacturing with validated processes.
Run the simulation and watch the same microfluidic chip move through four manufacturing stages — hand-poured soft lithography versus high-pressure Micro-LSR injection, step for step.
Legacy soft-lithography casting — manual, slow, and high-loss at every step.
Sealed, high-pressure injection with flash curing and zero-stress ejection — the same design, industrialized.
Traditional PDMS fabrication is manual, slow, and hard to scale. Our proprietary injection molding technology transforms every step.
Computer-controlled injection delivers exact PDMS volumes with consistent mixing ratios.
Advanced thermal control cures PDMS in minutes rather than hours.
Specialized mold coatings and release mechanisms eliminate manual demolding.
In-line optical inspection ensures every chip meets exact specifications.
Options for embedded components, stiffness gradients, and functional surface modifications — engineered into a single molded part.
From design optimization to full-scale production, we support your microfluidic chip needs end to end.
Our microfluidics experts review your designs and suggest optimizations for manufacturability — channel dimensions, aspect ratios, and surface treatments — while preserving functionality.
Fast turnaround from CAD to functional prototypes for iterative improvement and validation — test chips within days of design approval.
Flexible runs of 20–1,000 units for pilot studies, clinical trials, or market testing — economically viable without compromising quality.
Scalable capacity for commercial applications (10,000+ units) with consistent quality and competitive pricing from automated production lines.
We work on the most challenging geometries and deliver the most reproducible PDMS chips in the field.
Tell us about your project and our team will provide a detailed quote and consultation. Prefer email? Reach us directly and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.