Optimization of microfluidic layouts as a wired packing problem

This paper presents a methodology to optimize the physical layout of microfluidic components, a key step in the design of custom microfluidic instruments that can be used in various process applications. A mathematical formulation is proposed under the form of a Mixed Integer Linear Problem allowing to treat non overlapping constraints for the multi-objective optimization of layout footprint and connectivity lengths. The method is numerically tested using randomly generated scenarios. Then, a real testcase serves as illustration.