Precision Injection‐Compression Molding and Functional Integration of Hollow Microneedle Microfluidic Chips for Minimally Invasive Continuous Health Monitoring

Real-time biomarker monitoring through interstitial fluid (ISF) sampling using hollow microneedle (HMN) arrays is crucial for personalized precision medicine and chronic disease management. However, clinical translation faces a critical bottleneck: the absence of stable, cost-effective, scalable high-precision manufacturing technologies. This work systematically establishes a comprehensive end-to-end solution encompassing precise molding and functional integration. We employed injection-compression molding with multi-objective optimization algorithms to elucidate relationships between critical process parameters and HMN array molding quality. The results demonstrate that positioning the HMN array at the far-gate locations enhances filling quality and reduces core-pin impact force by 15%, revealing the underlying physical mechanisms governed by shear heating effects and pressure transmission dynamics, which enriches conventional micro-injection molding theory. The optimized process achieves >6.8% filling ratio improvement and 10% injection pressure reduction. Furthermore, we established a complete design and fabrication workflow for ISF extraction chips, developed patterned microelectrode bonding technology for complex microchannel sealing, and validated in situ detection platform advantages. In vitro testing validated safe and efficient ISF extraction with a 95% success rate while maintaining exceptional portability for wearable health monitoring applications. This work provides theoretical and practical guidance for scalable HMN manufacturing, establishing a foundation for commercializing next-generation continuous health monitoring systems.

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Small
Published
2026-10-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.76125
Primary Topic
Injection Molding Process and Properties
Type
article
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article

Precision Injection‐Compression Molding and Functional Integration of Hollow Microneedle Microfluidic Chips for Minimally Invasive Continuous Health Monitoring

Mingyong Zhou, Baishun Zhao, Wangqing Wu, Dimitrios Kontziampasis et al.
Small
Injection Molding Process and Properties
article

Precision Injection‐Compression Molding and Functional Integration of Hollow Microneedle Microfluidic Chips for Minimally Invasive Continuous Health Monitoring

Mingyong Zhou, Baishun Zhao, Wangqing Wu, Dimitrios Kontziampasis, Dou Zhang, Bingyan Jiang, Zhiyu Yang
article en

Abstract

Real-time biomarker monitoring through interstitial fluid (ISF) sampling using hollow microneedle (HMN) arrays is crucial for personalized precision medicine and chronic disease management. However, clinical translation faces a critical bottleneck: the absence of stable, cost-effective, scalable high-precision manufacturing technologies. This work systematically establishes a comprehensive end-to-end solution encompassing precise molding and functional integration. We employed injection-compression molding with multi-objective optimization algorithms to elucidate relationships between critical process parameters and HMN array molding quality. The results demonstrate that positioning the HMN array at the far-gate locations enhances filling quality and reduces core-pin impact force by 15%, revealing the underlying physical mechanisms governed by shear heating effects and pressure transmission dynamics, which enriches conventional micro-injection molding theory. The optimized process achieves >6.8% filling ratio improvement and 10% injection pressure reduction. Furthermore, we established a complete design and fabrication workflow for ISF extraction chips, developed patterned microelectrode bonding technology for complex microchannel sealing, and validated in situ detection platform advantages. In vitro testing validated safe and efficient ISF extraction with a 95% success rate while maintaining exceptional portability for wearable health monitoring applications. This work provides theoretical and practical guidance for scalable HMN manufacturing, establishing a foundation for commercializing next-generation continuous health monitoring systems.

Small
University of Leeds (GB), Central South University (CN), Powder Metallurgy Institute (BY), Guangdong Province Special Equipment Testing and Research Institute Zhuhai Testing Institute (CN), Gree (China) (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Injection Molding Process and Properties
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