Organ-on-a-Chip microfluidic devices, which simulate 3D cellular interactions, offer significant potential for replicating complex biological systems. However, their adoption is hindered by the high costs, labor-intensive fabrication, and material limitations associated with conventional photolithography. Photolithography, a technique that patterns micron-level features onto a photosensitive resin to create precise molds, is expensive and time-consuming, often requiring specialized equipment and expensive supplies. Devices are cast from resulting molds using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and permanently bonded to glass, through plasma oxidation. Xurography, a fabrication method using commercially available cutter plotter machines (e.g., Cricut^® Maker 3) has emerged as a promising alternative. This process employs computer numerical control (CNC) subtractive manufacturing to cut precise patterns out of thin substrates. It achieves a precision comparable to photolithography while being cost-effective, reusable, and accessible.

One such substrate, adhesive tapes, has demonstrated the ability to plasma bond to PDMS, forming enclosed devices. This study explored the capabilities of a commercially available cutter-plotter (Cricut® Maker 3), adhesive tape, and PDMS in the manufacturing of a microfluidic device. Tape - PDMS was evaluated for X-, Y-, Z- dimensional accuracy, leakage, burst pressure, flow quality using particle image velocimetry (PIV), production cost, and time efficiency. Results demonstrated that microfluidic tape PDMS devices achieve comparable dimensional accuracy with minimal leakage and high burst pressure thresholds. Flow quality was consistent and reliable, while fabrication time and costs will be significantly reduced compared to conventional methods.

This approach has the potential to lower barriers to microfluidic device development by significantly reducing cost and fabrication time. Broader adoption of such methods could improve access to advanced biomedical research tools and accelerate discoveries.