Gao Run Ze, Hébert Marie, Huissoon Jan, Ren Carolyn L
Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo N2L 3G1, Canada.
HardwareX. 2020 Jan 21;7:e00096. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00096. eCollection 2020 Apr.
An open-source precision pressure pump system and control software is presented, primarily designed for the experimental microfluidics community, although others may find additional uses for this precision pressure source. This mechatronic system is coined 'µPump,' and its performance rivals that of commercially available systems, at a fraction of the cost. The pressure accuracy, stability, and resolution are 0.09%, 0.02%, and 0.02% of the full span, respectively. The settling time to reach 2 bar from zero and stabilize is less than 2 s. Material for building a four-channel µPump (approx. $3000 USD) or an eight-channel µPump (approx. $5000 USD) is approximately a quarter, or a third of the cost of buying a high-end commercial system, respectively. The design rationale is presented, together with documented design details and software, so that the system may be replicated or customized to particular applications. µPump can be used for two-phase droplet microfluidics, single-phase microfluidics, gaseous flow microfluidics and any other applications requiring precise fluid handling. µPump provides researchers, students, and startups with a cost-effective solution for precise fluid control.
本文介绍了一种开源精密压力泵系统及控制软件，该系统主要为实验微流控领域设计，不过其他人员可能也会发现这种精密压力源的其他用途。这个机电一体化系统被命名为“µPump”，其性能可与市售系统相媲美，但成本仅为其几分之一。压力精度、稳定性和分辨率分别为满量程的0.09%、0.02%和0.02%。从零压力升至2巴并稳定下来的稳定时间不到2秒。构建一个四通道µPump（约3000美元）或一个八通道µPump（约5000美元）的材料成本分别约为购买高端商业系统成本的四分之一或三分之一。文中给出了设计原理以及详细的设计文档和软件，以便该系统能够被复制或针对特定应用进行定制。µPump可用于两相液滴微流控、单相微流控、气体流动微流控以及任何其他需要精确流体处理的应用。µPump为研究人员、学生和初创企业提供了一种经济高效的精确流体控制解决方案。
