Micromachining · NS CNC

Overview / Laboratories

NS CNC for research and development.

Our machines have operated for years in university laboratories worldwide, supporting research across biology, chemistry, electronics, and physics. High precision, reliable motion, zero spindle runout — the foundation scientists depend on to fabricate custom components, develop new methods, and publish original work.

Application / Microfluidics

Channels measured in micrometers.

NS CNC machines are widely used to fabricate microfluidic chips. Channel milling measured in micrometers requires sustained positional accuracy across long programs, a rigid machine base, zero spindle runout, and very high spindle speed to produce clean edges in plastic without melting or delamination.

Field / University of Toronto

Professor Andre Simpson’s Research Group from the University of Toronto

On this page, we feature some of the notable published work of Professor Andre Simpson’s Research Group from the University of Toronto. Their laboratory has been using several high-precision NS CNC milling machines 4-, 5-axis with spindles and laser for many years.

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/labs/asimpson

Simpson Research Group, University of Toronto

Professor Andre Simpson examines the first milled copper spiral coils on the Mira 6. September 2017

A 16-turn spiral coil with a 1.5 mm outer diameter was milled from Copper-coated Teflon. Both the turns/wires and the spacing between them are 0.02 mm wide.

A 3-turn microcoil with a 1 mm inner diameter was milled from Copper-coated Teflon. Both the turns/wires and the spacing between them are 50 µm wide.

Shown is a Slotted Tube Resonator milled from a copper pipe with an 1.270 mm outer diameter and an 0.813 mm inner diameter. Each strip is 7 mm long and is spaced 0.8 mm apart. The slotted tube resonator was soldered onto a specially designed circuit board that was milled from Copper-coated Teflon.

Two 1 mm X 9 mm microstrips (with a built-in 2 mm wide, 7 mm long, and 1.58 mm deep sample chamber behind the microstrip) are shown.

Parts of two 1 mm X 5 mm double-sided microstrips were milled from an FR1 PCB Board and soldered together. Acrylic inserts containing microfluidic channels (that will contain the sample) were milled from an acrylic rod and used to introduce the sample between each strip. One is designed to keep larger mass-limited samples between the two microstrips (top) while the other contains only microfluidic channels and is intended for liquid samples (bottom). All components were machined on a Mira-6.

The Solenoid was made from a 6.4 mm Diameter Copper coated Acrylic Rod, made on Mira 6.

The front of a 3 mm long and 0.15 mm wide microstrip (made from copper-coated Teflon) is shown. The microstrip contains a built-in 1 mm wide, 3 mm long, and 1.58 mm deep sample chamber on the opposing side (shown in next photo).

5 axis NS CNC laser machine Mira 7L to do high precision engraving on metal. Letter height 0.1 mm.

Professor Andre Simpson next to his latest 4 axis NS CNC ELARA mill with a granite base. December 2022.

Field / VUB · Belgium

Professor Ronnie Willaert from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Professor Ronnie Willaert (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium) has extended expertise in yeast research (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and C. glabrata) and single-molecule biophysics.

He has considerable experience in optical nanomotion detection as well as in biofabrication (including microfluidic chip and micropattern development). He focuses on developing and using micro- nanobiotechnological techniques to study bone and yeast cells in microgravity (International Space Station) via European Space Agency (ESA) and Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) sponsored research project.

Currently, he is using the CNC Elara (NS CNC) as a fast-prototyping method to optimize a microfluidic chip that will be used for the ESA project “FLUMIAS Yeast Nanomotion”, where yeast cellular nanomotion will be used to assess the effect of antifungals on the viability of yeast cells in space conditions (ISS).

Research Group Structural Biology Brussels (SBB)

Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent “NanoMicrobiology” (NAMI)

International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL (Switzerland) “BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine” (NANO)

Research / Publications

Precision that belongs in a lab

NS CNC for research and development.

Channels measured in micrometers.

Professor Andre Simpson’s Research Group from the University of Toronto

Professor Ronnie Willaert from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Publications