• A novel two-step thermal lamination and laser cut method for µPAD fabrication is presented. • The process uses common office tools to rapidly create reproducible, enclosed paper devices. • Hydrophobic barriers formed during lamination ensure robust fluid confinement and stability. • The resulting structures support glucose sensing and 3D fibroblast culture in paper matrices. • Devices can be scaled to 96-well formats for low-cost, high-throughput diagnostics and assays. We introduce a novel, simple, and highly scalable fabrication method—thermal lamination and laser cut (TLLC)—for the rapid and cost-effective production of fully enclosed paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (µPADs). The process combines standard office lamination with controlled laser ablation, simultaneously defining device architecture, opening inlet zones, and creating void trenches that function as intrinsic hydrophobic barriers for reliable capillary-driven fluid confinement. For the fabrication of standard high-throughput formats such as 96-well plates, we added a high-temperature flash lamination step that promotes glue infiltration into the trenches, yielding robust physical barriers. This preserves fluid volumes throughout the assay for consistent reaction dynamics across the samples. Device performance was validated through colorimetric glucose sensing assays and fibroblast proliferation studies in the 3D paper matrix. The experiments confirmed the device’s diagnostic utility and suitability as a 3D cell culture platform. TLLC supports quick fabrication of enclosed channels resistant to contamination and evaporation, as well as standard 96-well plate reservoirs for large-volume assays. By consolidating fabrication into a streamlined two-step process that relies on ubiquitously available materials and automatable commercial tools, the method enables high-speed mass production at low cost, while enhancing mechanical stability and reproducibility. TLLC presents a remarkable edge in µPAD technology, offering an efficient platform for large-scale deployment in diagnosis, biomedical research, and tissue culture applications.
Samad et al. (Thu,) studied this question.