Scalable Manufacturing of Microneedle Arrays Using Automated High-Throughput Manufacturing Systems and High-Capacity Molding

A mold for making a plurality of microneedle arrays (MNAs), comprising:

• a tray comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall extending between the top surface and the bottom surface;
• a plurality of wells on the top surface of the tray, each well comprising an open top, a closed bottom, and an inner surface extending between the open top and the closed bottom;
• and
• a plurality of fiducial markers on the tray that can be identified in images of the mold captured by optical sensors for aligning the mold with a dispenser of an MNA manufacturing system.

A high-throughput manufacturing system for making microneedle arrays (MNAs), the system comprising:

• at least one mold for making a plurality of MNAs;
• at least one dispenser that dispenses a polymer resin material for forming a molded MNA part to a plurality of wells of the at least one mold;
• at least one centrifuge for centrifuging the at least one mold causing the polymer resin material dispensed into the plurality of wells of the at least one mold to distribute through the plurality of wells;
• at least one curing or drying device for exposing the filled at least one mold to heat and/or radiation causing the polymer resin material to cure or dry;
• and
• at least one automated or robotic electromechanical mover for moving the at least one mold through the at least one dispenser, the at least one centrifuge, and the at least one curing or drying device, for demolding the molded MNA parts from the at least one mold, and for assembling the MNAs from the molded MNA parts.