Credit: Darren Baker
Researchers have published an open-source library of designs that could allow scientists to cut the cost of syringe pumps.
These syringe-pump designs can be made on a RepRap 3D printer for the cost of the plastic filament, and the designs are customizable.
“Not only have we designed a single syringe pump, we’ve designed all future syringe pumps,” said Joshua Pearce, PhD, of Michigan Technological University in Houghton.
“Scientists can customize the design of a pump for exactly what they are doing, just by changing a couple of numbers in the software.”
Dr Pearce and his colleagues described their work creating the library of designs in PLOS ONE. The hardware plans, designs, and source code for the pumps are available on Appropedia.
The library includes recipes for most parts of a syringe pump. Scientists will have to buy the small electric stepper motor that drives the liquid, some simple hardware, and the syringe itself.
The researchers also incorporated a low-cost, credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer as a wireless controller.
“That way, you can link the syringe pump to the network, sit on a beach in Hawaii, and control your lab,” Dr Pearce said. “Plenty of people can have access, and you can run multiple experiments at the same time. Our entire single-pump system costs only $50 and can replace pumps that run between $250 and $2500.”
It costs more to make a double-pump system, about $120, but it replaces a commercial system that costs $5000.
And Dr Pearce believes someone will find a way to make the pumps even better.
“I’m sure someone will improve our designs and share their results with us and the rest of the community,” he said. “That’s the beauty and power of open source.”
