Printed Microfluidics

Microfluidics has become an important tool that is useful for a wide range of applications. A drawback for microfluidics is that many of the techniques that are commonly used to fabricate devices are not widely accessible, not scalable to high-volume manufacturing processes, or both. Recently, a number of printing strategies that were originally developed for other applications have been applied to microfluidic device fabrication. These techniques, which include inkjet printing (IJP), screen printing (SP), and solid wax printing (SWP), are proposed to have a transformative effect on the field. Here microfluidics and printing, are introduced and a list of favorite examples is provided that highlights the accessibility and scalability that the combination is bringing to the field.