Use of vacuum bagging for fabricating thermoplastic microfluidic devicesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: materials and reagents, chemiluminescent assay procedure, device fabrication procedure, and burst pressure testing. See DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00927d

In this work we present a novel thermal bonding method for thermoplastic microfluidic devices. This simple method employs a modified vacuum bagging technique, a concept borrowed from the aerospace industry, to produce conventional thick substrate microfluidic devices, as well as multi-layer film devices. The bonds produced using this method are superior to those obtained using conventional thermal bonding methods, including thermal lamination, and are capable of sustaining burst pressures in excess of 550 kPa. To illustrate the utility of this method, thick substrate devices were produced, as well as a six-layer film device that incorporated several complex features. Vacuum bagging technique has been adapted for fabricating thermoplastic microfluidics devices, yielding strong bonding with little channel deformation.