TABLE 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of commonly used manufacture methods of organ‐on‐a‐chip technologies. ³⁵ , ³⁶ , ³⁷ , ³⁸

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Soft‐lithography/replica molding	High micro‐size precision, cost‐effectiveness, and versatility to create complex networks	Requires a prefabricated mold, which limits design modifications
Photolithography with polydimethylsiloxane‐based soft‐lithography	High precision down to nanometers and accurate fabrication of complex structures	Time‐consuming, relatively expensive, challenging to recreate rounded cross‐sections or tubular geometries
Injection molding	Low cost, ready‐made, scalable for mass production, and compatible with high‐throughput models	Not suitable for complex designs and functional features, requires a prefabricated mold, and tight regulation of temperature, pressure, and injection rate
Hot embossing	Low cost, ideal for polymeric microstructures with high aspect ratio and micro‐pin lamellae, and suitable for most thermoplastic materials	Requires precise regulation of temperature and other parameters for a high‐quality surface
Viscous finger patterning	Suitable for hollowed constructs, low cost, and easy fabrication	Not suitable for complex designs and functional features and results in designs with low resolution and low accuracy
3D printing	Low cost, good compatibility to several biomaterials, and provides precise control over designs	Resolution, structure stability, and time consumption vary largely within different techniques and result in inadequate optical transparency
Sacrificial bioprinting	Ideal for lumenized vascular networks, compatible to photocurable hydrogels, high structural integrity with superior mechanical properties, and suitable for hollowed constructs	Long fabrication process, low resolution, and low accuracy