Syringe Pump


As part of the my Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) a syringe pump was required to deliver constant discrete fluid flow to my microfluidic devices.  The syringe pump had to be robust enough for regular laboratory use and hold multiple syringes for simultaneous dispensing.  The syringes to be used were a common insulin delivery syringe chosen for its low cost and small size.

 

A prototype was created to hold three syringes at a time and allowed for 6 inches of lateral compression.  This design was overkill in many ways and could be made much smaller in successive redesigns.  The syringe pump is actuated by a stepper motor controlled by a microcontroller developed as part of fellow REU student Mengting Nan's summer work.

 

 

On the left, the acme threaded lead screw can be clearly seen as well as the horizontal rails.  On the right, the forward syringe stabilizing platform can be seen as well as the back of the pump where the stepper motor is attached to the lead screw.

 

 

On the right, a syringe mounted in the pump.

 

An image of the large syringe pump used for publication

 

After fabricating the syringe pump, I designed a much smaller version for future use in diagnostics or high school labs.  The smaller syringe pump needs to be redesigned further to increase reliability and strength.