Micromolding for ceramic microneedle arrays

The fabrication process of ceramic microneedle arrays (MNAs) is presented. This includes the manufacturing of an SU-8/Si-master, its double replication resulting in a PDMS mold for production by micromolding and ceramic sintering. The robustness of the replicated structures was tested by means of microindentation techniques eliminating shear forces and by manual application of MNAs into silicone rubber. No damages of MNAs were observed using controlled microindentation. After the manual application, however, some microneedles were broken and left in the silicone. The opportunities and the ways to solve underlying problems of the fabrication process will be suggested and discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.