3D-Printed Silicone Nets for Neural Recording
Precision 3D-Printed Silicone for Neural Recording Systems
In neuroscience, even the smallest sample movement can compromise recording quality. Living brain tissue, organoids, and spheroids must remain in stable contact with microelectrode arrays without being damaged or restricting the flow of culture medium.
For its CorePlate™ sample holder system, Swiss neurotechnology company 3Brain needed a delicate, biocompatible component that could meet these requirements simultaneously.
Spectroplast developed and manufactured a precision 3D-printed silicone net using TrueSil A35, enabling gentle and controlled sample positioning in 3Brain's high-density microelectrode array (HD-MEA) systems.
The Challenge: Stable Contact Without Tissue Damage
The silicone net had to meet four critical requirements:
- Gentle mechanical contact: Apply controlled pressure to delicate neural samples without damaging the tissue.
- Biocompatibility: Minimize the risk of unwanted interactions between the material and the biological environment.
- Consistent performance: Maintain reproducible geometry and mechanical behavior across manufactured components.
- Microscale precision: Produce a fine, flexible mesh with integrated positioning arms while allowing culture medium to flow freely.
Conventional approaches, including manually cut nylon meshes and handmade anchors, introduced variability and manufacturing limitations.
Why TrueSil A35?
Spectroplast's medical-grade TrueSil A35 combines elasticity, biocompatibility, and geometric precision in a single additively manufactured component.
Its flexible structure conforms to the biological sample and distributes holding forces across the contact area. The fine mesh geometry allows culture medium to flow through, while two integrated positioning arms help ensure a precise fit within the sample holder.
The material also supports sterilization processes including autoclaving, ethanol treatment, and UV exposure, as documented for this application.
Why Silicone Additive Manufacturing?
Traditional manufacturing methods struggle to produce the fine mesh geometry and integrated flexible features required for this application.
Spectroplast's silicone additive manufacturing technology enables:
- Fine, complex geometries without injection-molding tools
- Integrated flexible features in a single silicone component
- Repeatable production according to documented specifications
- Material performance suited to direct contact with delicate biological samples
The Result: Precision That Supports Reproducible Science
The silicone net is now an integral component of 3Brain's CorePlate™ Sample Holder Set.
The documented application demonstrates:
- Up to 4,096 electrodes per well in the CorePlate™ neural recording systems
- 250–1,250 µN calibrated holding force, adjustable according to sample requirements
- 30 days of incubation without a cytotoxic response in 3Brain's in-house evaluation
By combining material flexibility with precision additive manufacturing, Spectroplast helped 3Brain achieve controlled positioning of delicate neural samples for high-resolution electrophysiological research.
Explore the Full 3Brain Case Study
Discover the engineering challenges, material selection, design considerations, and application results behind this precision silicone component.
Read the 3Brain × Spectroplast Case Study →
Explore TrueSil A35
Learn more about the silicone material behind the application.