Microfluidics has become an essential tool in many experimental fields since its inception in the 1980s. While the cost to fabricating microfluidic devices has decreased over the years, it can still be an expensive process. Currently, the prototypical microfluidic device is made through a fabrication process called soft lithography, where a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cast is made from a photolithographic master. Fabricating the photolithographic master requires cleanroom facilities and specialized ultraviolet exposure systems far beyond the scope of some academic institutions. Due to the high expense, the fabrication of microfluidic devices is often only available to select research groups and must be outsourced by other users. Recently, new technological developments have created cost-effective alternatives which can replace much of the more expensive equipment. These advances have revolutionized the methods used to fabricate microfluidic devices, increasing the accessibility of microfluidics to researchers.

This methods collection aims to highlight emerging technologies that can be used to create low-cost microfluidic equipment. Collectively, these technologies can be used to equip a facility for the fabrication and use of microfluidic devices without a cleanroom. Within the scope of this collection are new microfluidic technologies that replace specific pieces of fabrication equipment, replace pieces of laboratory equipment involved in the use of microfluidics, alter the fabrication process itself, or fundamentally rethink what constitutes a microfluidic device.