As the time for development of the prototype quickly approaches, the group must take into acount the possibilities listed below in their respective categories.
Construction: glass or metal syringe, types of plastic for device body, hinged compartment for syringe or cartridge loading casement, motor usage (movement of syringe plunger, movement of casing around syringe, use of gears, etc.), power source (battery or outlet powered).
Spinning Parameters: Flow rate, syringe diameter, needle diameter, solvent, solute, voltage.
Environment: Relative humidity, temperature, insulation.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Machine Shop
Today, the group visited the machine shop at the Hess Laboratory to see what kind of work they could potentially do there. Since this shop mostly deals with metals, it may not be an idea place to construct an electrospinning device (metals are conductive so the device itself should not conduct electricity). However they do work with plastics such as acrylic, so that is an option.
After being given we given a short tour of the shop, the group was led to the scrap-room. There they saw plenty of materials that, although not necessarily suitable for this project, provided some inspiration as to how the body of the device could be constructed. There were plastic tubes which suggested the shape of a barrel (the long end of the electrospinning device) and metal sheets which could be used as collector plates.
The next steps will be to obtain a high voltage power supply and a syringe pump. The syringe pump would have to be small enough to fit inside the device, so one might have to be built rather than bought.
Update: In the design proposal it was mentioned that the device would run on battery power. After careful consideration it was concluded that the more practical option would be a power supply which would be plugged into an outlet and provide high voltage to the device.
After being given we given a short tour of the shop, the group was led to the scrap-room. There they saw plenty of materials that, although not necessarily suitable for this project, provided some inspiration as to how the body of the device could be constructed. There were plastic tubes which suggested the shape of a barrel (the long end of the electrospinning device) and metal sheets which could be used as collector plates.
The next steps will be to obtain a high voltage power supply and a syringe pump. The syringe pump would have to be small enough to fit inside the device, so one might have to be built rather than bought.
Update: In the design proposal it was mentioned that the device would run on battery power. After careful consideration it was concluded that the more practical option would be a power supply which would be plugged into an outlet and provide high voltage to the device.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
After evaluating research papers, the group decided that the primary focus for this project is to design a portable electrospinning device. A prototype will be built using the initial K'Nex kit. Then a final design will be created. If time permits it, other nanofibers like kevlar or nylon can be spun . The portability aspect provides a daunting challenge. Most electrospinning devices are very large, usually the size of vending machines. There is one known example of a portable design. A group of Singaporean students made a spinning device the size of a large hair dryer. This shows that it is certainly possible to complete this task.
Update: The K'nex kit will not be used for the prototype. Instead, traditional electrospinning methods will be tested; then once the process is optimized, the components will be implemented into the portable device.
Update: The K'nex kit will not be used for the prototype. Instead, traditional electrospinning methods will be tested; then once the process is optimized, the components will be implemented into the portable device.
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